The Right to Education (RTE) Act has been held to be constitutional and, rightly, the government is ecstatic. But will the government fulfil its obligations under the Act? Doubtful, as the RTE needs the government to substantially improve education delivery and quality.

The system is broken, management poor and results unacceptable with parents deserting in droves for supposedly better education by private providers. This is compounded by the government's preference for the state language as the medium against the parents' desperation for English-medium education.

Today, between states and the Centre, over 2,00,000 crore is spent annually on school education but results are poor and getting worse. The RTE reportedly imposes a further burden of 2,00,000 crore, but this money is nowhere in sight.

The government is now trying to pass on its responsibility to the private sector by a 25% quota for the poor, a right move as schools have to reflect the diversity of society. But the government seems unwilling to pay the full fees, offering a paltry amount much less than its per-capita cost.

The RTE would give power to school inspectors for enforcement, creating a source of harassment and corruption. Asking the 75% to subsidise education of 25% is unfair, and this disinclination to pay full fees is the biggest source of worry for private schools.

The exceptions made by the SC and lack of capacity in good private schools means this will hardly make a difference. Across India, about 25% of schools are in the private sector. Only 10% are of good quality, with half run by private, unaided minority institutions. For all the noise, this will positively impact only 1% of our children.

A better solution would be to provide full scholarships to the 25% to go to a school of their choice, helping create new capacity. Handing over government schools on the same costs would be a better solution as the big challenge is management.

The great solution is a chimera and gives a perfect excuse to the government to abdicate its responsibility to improve quality. Our governments continue to fail us, giving such placebos from time to time.